More Fan Mail...

Jane (who didn't take part in the Tug of War!) managed to take this rather handsome picture of me, which I just needed to share with you all.

I also forgot to explain earlier, about Maggie's absence at The Rose yesterday - James forgot to put her in the car!

What a Disaster !

The long awaited Tug of War between the Rose Inn, Redwick and the Golden Lion, Magor took place yesterday (Sunday 30th August) in Redwick. There were two teams representing each Pub. Human Men and Human Ladies. There was no dog category for me to take part in so I provided security for the event and had a shirt to prove it. It was all very exciting with lots and lots of people turning up to watch. However, it all went sadly wrong when the Ladies Teams took the strain... The match was "best of three" and our ladies lost 2-0 in spectacular fashion. I've included some picures here, but there are lots more on the Golden Lion's Facebook Page and lots more again on the Cash machine screen in the Pub.


The men didn't do much better despite everyone shouting and screaming at them and me barking my head off. The men lost 2-0 as well and judging by all the laughing, they weren't taking it seriously enough. The Rose Inn men knew what they were doing and the rumour was that they spent the morning pulling a tractor around the village with its brakes on... Our men spent the morning exercising their right arms in the bar at the Lion, but it simply wasn't enough.



Everyone came to the Lion in Magor after the event for some human food called Curry (and by the way, it's about the only human food that I hate!) and the presentation to the winners. James & Garry presented the new shield to the Captain of the Redwick Team before all the humans clapped their hands together for ages and ages. It's a bit like us dogs wagging our tails, but much noisier.

I heard James say that we lost it on technique and so all the members of the Lion's Team are now committed to bringing the trophy home at the next challenge which will take place at the May Bank Holiday next year.

Julie says that she will ban any Golden Lion customers who fail to turn up for training sessions in the run up to the next match. She says that having laid down the challenge to Gary & Sarah at the Rose, it will be humiliating if we can't win at least one pull next year.

Back in charge...

Just arrived back. All seems to be in order and my usual pals are in the bar - Chino, Karen, Angus, Ross, Sgt Maj Bob, Dave and Jane, Malcolm and Bev - and all please to see me home, of course...

A massive rope has appeared on the floor in the bar, which I understand is the rope for the Tug of War tomorrow.

Girls!

Having resigned myself to the notion that Maggie can be rather foolish at times, it hadn't quite occurred to me (until this week) that it isn't just female dogs we have to worry about.

The next time you are in the pub, ask Fiona about her "car wash" and Alea about her recent "BBQ"!

Missing You

Well I'm still here at Jack & Beryl's and feel back to my old self, although I did have a relapse when Maggie visited yesterday. I'm clearly also missing all that is going on at the pub. There was an Italian evening yesterday with lots of Pizza and Pasta things on the menu and even cheap Pinot Grigio! but Julie has promised that they will have some more Italian nights so that I can get some cheesy pasta. Maggie's parents were called Bella & Pablo (ridiculous names for Scottish dogs if you ask me!) so she is claiming that she is half Italian (maybe that's why she's got such a big bum!).

Tonight, James & Julie are taking a group of regulars to the Wickwar Brewery to see how they make their beer, sample lots of it and hopefully choose a blend of beer to be called "Hamish" and they aren't even taking me...

Tomorrow is the last night of the Celtic music lessons. Donald, Dana and Dave have been teaching groups of children (& James) how to play musical instruments and tomorrow, being as it's their last night they are having a concert to celebrate. Somehow, they have also managed to get One string Loose back as a supporting act for the children, so it should be a really good night and I'll be missing it all...

I'll hopefully be back home for the weekend to see the Tug of War and support my team when they take on The rose at Redwick. If anyone else wants to come and support us, the "tug" will start at 2.30pm at The Rose and then there is free curry for all the contestants and supporters back at The Lion afterwards along with the prizegiving.

Not Quite Myself...

I'm not feeling quite myself lately and have decided to take a break and stay with Jack & Beryl for a few days. I'll hopefully be back to my usual, fit and healthy self in a few days and back in charge at the pub. I do have access to a computer whilst I'm here (if I can get Beryl off the thing for long enough) so may give you an update in a day or so....

Another Great Picnic

We don't seem to manage to get out for the day every Tuesday, but I do think that Julie & James try and make it a special day for me and maggie most weeks and today was a very special day... I thought at first that it was going to be a day of shopping as we dropped Julie off at Marks & Spencer, but I could smell the Picnic as soon as she got back into the car. We had quite a long journey, but ended up at Talybont where we laid out our picnic. Maggie and I even had our own blanket (which Maggie later soaked) and ate fancy bite size sausages that should really have been on sticks.





Crossing the river was fun. I eventually gave up trying to stay on the stones and jumped in, but Maggie just sat there whimpering until James went and carried her across.

All was well at the pub when we got home. Our new garden lights had also been delivered which once they have been connected will mean that humans will be able to stay outside even later.

Maggie needs a Sat Nav...

I was away from the pub all day today, helping James collect the remaining belongings from our old house. Without me being there to keep an eye on her, Maggie went missing again. Julie, Chino and lots of other staff and customers were searching the streets looking for her and she eventually turned up and was sat on the doorstep when Julie staggered back from a long trek down the lanes.

The option of fitting a tracking device to Maggie has been discussed regularly, but I think she has finally pushed Julie over the edge and she will therefore, soon be rigged up to set alarm bells ringing if she sets foot outside the pub. The question is, what device will work best? If anyone has any advice please let me know and I will pass it on..

Did you know?

that I was abandoned as an 11 week old puppy.....

Somehow or another I have turned into a well balanced dog, but it could quite easily have gone the other way for me. I was bought by a lady with a funny accent (she wasn't British) who didn't have any family nearby or anybody to help her look after me when she went away to work, and so after letting me stay with her for a week or 2 she took me to a kennels and left me (It wasn't even a proper kennels, and I was locked in a dirty old portacabin, all alone with no other dogs for company) until I was rescued.....

This picture is of me and James, just after Julie had convinced him that I should go and live with them!

My Very Own Postcard!

I received my very own postcard today, which was posted all the way from Skye in Scotland by Samantha Stewart who is on a tour with her family (Crimes Against Folk)!.....Thank You x

Tintern Abbey

The sun has been out again and we all managed to sneak out for an hour this afternoon. We went to Tintern Abbey and had ice cream and played with my favourite ball on a rope. I always manage to beat Maggie to get to it when it's thrown, but what she has now learnt todo is just let me chase it and then ambush me for it when I take it back, just so she can pretend that she has retrieved it. James falls for it every time and tells her what a good girl she has been! We had a good walk and then came back to the pub, which had been left in a bit of a mess by the staff today, so Julie was very grumpy.

Since I last wrote, we have also had lots of visitors. Sophie, another of my human sisters came to stay for a few days, but she always makes more of a fuss of Doris & Duchess than she does of me and Maggie. Doris spends time in just about every house and business in the square. She pops into Snippers and Farthings most days, but on Saturday she made her way into Dawn's bedroom and was caught eyeing up her newly hatched baby chicks. Dawn managed to save them in the nick of time, but if any of them turn out to be noisy cockerels I may arrange to give Doris a bunk up so she can finish him off before he gets as noisy as the other one. Everyone else thinks that the early morning wake up call is really cool, but I like to have a lie in and can do without any more noisy Cockerels!

We also had some late night visitors on Friday night or al least that's what James is saying. Somehow he managed to lock 3 ladies in the pub. We were all getting ready for bed as it was gone 1am, when James rushed back downstairs, because he could hear some ladies in the toilets. Luckily for them he did put his dressing gown on before he went down...

Comedy Night

It's been a bit like christmas today...

At lunchtime we had a great big crowd of ladies (and a few gentlemen) from The Lawns, which is a sheltered housing complex quite close to the pub. I'm very friendly with Kath (and Roy) who keeps an eye on everyone there and she came along with them all. Julie had asked Sgt Bob to come in and play the piano, which was moved especially for the occasion and sounded even louder than usual. Sgt Bob enjoyed himself so much that he just kept on playing all afternoon. My paws would have been so sore if I had tried to do that for so long. Doris occasionally jumps up on the piano and pretends that she is playing a tune.

Tonight saw the start of the long awaited Comedy Club. The 3 comedians turned up just as Dinner was being served and managed to get themselves served before me. It sounds as though everyone is having a good time and they have all been drinking lots of beer. Julie & James have said that if it goes well they will organise one every month so I will let you know the outcome tomorrow.

I have to go now as Maggie did another disappearing act at the start of the show and so we (I always get punished for no reason) have been confined to the office and Maggie has now decided that she is going to eat her food dish, so I have to go and put a stop to it before I get in trouble for that too...

CJ!

I now have permission to share the full details of my eavesdropping from friday night...

The man that came in to see Julie & James was CJ from Eggheads (they had no real idea who he was, but I did, because Jack & Beryl always watch him on the tv when I go to visit). The reason that he was in the pub, is that he is going to run the quiz for Julie & James on a Wednesday night. He seemed very nice, but he's a bit of an ogre on the telly! I also got the impression that he is going to be VERY strict with all the contestants and not take any nonsense, which I can see being very entertaining and I can't wait to watch him tell someone off for using a mobile phone. I love seeing humans get caught doing something wrong as it takes the pressure off me a little... and Maggie even more so...

The quiz will be starting at 8.30pm which is a little bit earlier than before and I did hear CJ say that he hopes to get it finished by 10.30pm so that he can hand out all the prizes (which will also be better than before) and everyone can get home reasonably early. Beryl has already asked if she can have CJ's autograph so I can see me having to do some form of crowd control at the end of the night to stop poor CJ being trampled by autograph hunters!

Angus & Ross

It's been a busy week-end here at the Golden Lion. Although the weather wasn't great on Saturday, it did brighten up later in the afternoon, and I don't think we had any rain on Sunday!.

Angus & Ross have had all their jabs now, which means that they can go out for proper walks and Maggie & I got in on the action twice this weekend. They need someone to show them all the good walks, but to be perfectly honest they were a bit slow for me and I had to keep telling them to keep up, but it was still worth it.

I wasn't that happy about having to share my chicken with them when we got back though.

We still haven't seen Norman since he went to live with Sgt Bob!